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International culinary schools at the art institutes

French city cooks up furore over meat-free school lunches

by tuoitrenews.vn

The French government on Sunday (Feb 21) accused the Green mayor of Lyon of insulting French butchers and harming the health of children by keeping meat off the menu for school lunches in the city.

Mayor Gregory Doucet defended the decision, saying the idea of having a single menu without meat was to ensure a smooth service at lunchtimes during the social distancing enforced by the COVID-19 crisis.

But the government pounced on the mayor, who was one of a number of Green politicians to win control of major cities in last year’s local elections seen as a drubbing for the party of President Emmanuel Macron.

Lyon is also seen by many as the culinary capital of the country, famed for its hearty meat-based cuisine.

“Let’s stop putting ideology on our children’s plates,” Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie wrote on Twitter.

“Let’s just give them what they need to grow well. Meat is part of it,” he said, adding that he had asked the region’s prefect, the state-appointed top local official, to overrule the move.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said it was an “unacceptable insult” for French farmers and butchers.

“We can see that the moralising and elitist policy of the Greens excludes the popular classes. Many children often only get to eat meat at the school canteen.” Doucet hit back on Twitter, saying that the measure has been taken “solely” due to the health crisis and adding that his right-wing predecessor as mayor Gerard Collomb had taken “exactly the same measure” during the first wave of the pandemic.

He said that the menu – which includes fish and egg products – was “balanced for all our schoolchildren”.

Doucet is not the first of the new breed of Green mayors to court controversy.

Last year the new Green mayor of Bordeaux Pierre Hurmic decided to do away with the city’s traditional Christmas tree as part of his pro-environment agenda, saying he was “not going to put dead trees in our squares.”

And Doucet himself raised eyebrows by saying the most French of sporting events – the Tour de France – was “macho and polluting” and not welcome back in the city as long as it was not “environmentally responsible.”

Country’s first-ever Street Art Festival to be held in HCMC in April

by sggpnews.org.vn

The event called Saigon Urban Arts 2021 is scheduled between April and November, featuring a series of cultural activities such as the graffiti art event, urban art spaces, arts workshops for young people, international conference on urban art, music festival and more.
On this occasion, a painting contest has been launched for Vietnamese artists of over 18 years old by the French Institute in Ho Chi Minh City (IF HCMV). Six outstanding candidates will be chosen for the final round slated in April. The top three-participants would win the competition.
On April 24-25, about 10 painters will join a direct painting event under the witness of audiences. Art works will be showcased at locations in HCMC and neighboring provinces.
In the annoucement ceremony between the People’s Committee of HCMC and the Consulate General of France in Ho Chi Minh City in last November, Vice chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, Duong Anh Duc asked the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs and HCMC Youth Cultural House to support the organizer, IF HCMV to host the festival.
The municipal supports cultural activities which are considered as events promoting images of the land and Vietnamese people, and HCMC particularly, he stressed.

By Tieu Tan – Translated by Kim Khanh

International Friendship Art Festival 2020 opens in Hanoi

by hanoitimes.vn

The Hanoitimes – More than 300 professional and amateur artists from various organizations and countries perform at the festival.

The International Friendship Art Festival 2020, organized by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations, took place at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, Hoan Kiem pedestrian streets and Hanoi Art College’s auditorium, from December 18 to 20.

The festival is held to enhance friendly exchange activities, promote international friendship among Hanoi people and international friends.

Press conference of International Friendship Art Festival 2020/ Photo: Hanoi Departure of Culture & Sports

Festival Gala Night will be held on the evening of December 27, 2020 in the auditorium of the Hanoi Art College.

At the festival this year, the organizers will set up two outdoor piano performance spaces at Hoan Kiem pedestrian streets (the lakeside area opposite to Luc Thuy restaurant and the Swiss Clock area at Hang Khay – Dinh Tien Hoang crossroads). Another stage for dancing and piano performance will also be set up at Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square.

At the Gala night, there will be a fashion show featuring a performance of traditional and modern ‘ao dai’; repertoire performances by excellent Vietnamese and international artists; and awarding ceremony to the best performances of the festival.

A performance to kick off the festival/ Photo: Kinh te & Do thi

In addition, a variety of cultural activities are organized at the festival, including International cultural and artistic experience activities; a space to display creative cultural and artistic products, Vietnamese traditional and international games; International and Hanoi tourism promotion booths, among others.

More than 300 professional and amateur artists performed at the festival. They came from friendship associations, embassies, international organizations, international schools, bilingual schools in Hanoi, and foreign countries of Cuba, Mongolia, Indonesia and Russia.

Through this event, the Organizing Committee hopes to highlight the “creative art space”, practically contributing to celebrate  UNESCO’s recognition of Hanoi as a member of the network of creative cities.

First international street art project in Vietnam to take place in HCM City

by dtinews.vn

The 2021 Saigon Urban Arts, the first international street art project of its kind in Vietnam, is scheduled to begin this April.


The 2021 Saigon Urban Arts is scheduled to begin this April (Photo courtesy of the organisers)


Organised by the French Institute in Ho Chi Minh City (IF HCMV), it will run until November.

On April 24-25, about 10 painters are set to create their works directly before local audience, and the paintings will be on showcase at several venues in HCM City, including the Consulate General of France, and some other localities.

In the last month of the event, a panoply of activities will be held, including a mural painting contest, an exhibition and international seminar on street art, a workshop for young people, and a music festival.

On the occasion, the IF HCMV has launched a young talent competition for Vietnamese artists of over 18 years old. Six outstanding candidates in the qualification will be shortlisted for the final slated for April.

Three winners of the contest will join an art residency programme in France and the international street art festival slated in HCM City in November.

International Schools of North America receives accreditation from Western Association of Schools and Colleges

by bizhub.vn

Students at International Schools of North America. — Photo courtesy of the Nguyen Hoang Group

International Schools of North America is now fully accredited to meet the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (ACS WASC) criteria.

This accreditation status is based on information provided by the school, including its reports and the satisfactory completion of the accreditation visit.

The reports include how the school has addressed growth areas for continuous improvement through the schoolwide action plan; made appropriate progress in the action plan; and improved student achievement relative to learner outcomes and academic standards.

ACS WASC fosters excellence in elementary, secondary, adult and postsecondary institutions, and supplementary education programs. It encourages school improvement through a process of continuing evaluation and recognizes institutions by granting accreditation to schools that meet an acceptable level of quality in accordance with established criteria.

International Schools of North America is a member of Nguyen Hoang Group, an educational provider for all levels from kindergarten to PhD programmes available in both national and international settings. Currently, there are 60 campuses in 24 provinces and cities, with more than 75,000 students and a professional community of more than 4,500 members. — VNS

Paris Graduate School of Management – 10th Anniversary of Post-Graduate Training in Vietnam

by ven.vn

Madam Pham Thu Hang – Representative of PGSM Vietnam gives appreciation flowers to Prof. Tran Tho Dat – President of National Economics University at PGSM’s 10th Anniversary of Post-Graduate Training in Vietnam

Established in Vietnam for a full decade, Paris Graduate School of Management (PGSM)’s International Executive Master of Business Administration (IEMBA) Program not only provides high-quality human resources for Vietnamese enterprises, but also lays a foundation to help managers go further in their careers and construct values for the community and society.

From a leading French brand of graduate education…

Paris Graduate School of Management – PGSM (École supérieure de gestion ESG de Paris – ESG) are institutions of higher education in France.

After over four decades of establishment and development, Paris Graduate School of Management – PGSM (École supérieure de gestion ESG de Paris – ESG) has consistently achieved significant growth, with 17 current business school in France and around 90,000 students.

The institutions are highly prestigious Business Schools in France and Europe with the mission of training the managers of tomorrow at a global level.

Paris Graduate School of Management – PGSM (École supérieure de gestion ESG de Paris – ESG) is currently the official member of Galileo Global Education which is Europe’s largest Education System. Galileo’s system includes 45 member schools across the globe, 120,000 students per year from all over the world, 100,000 alumni, and 85 campuses in more than 10 cities across the continents such as Shanghai, Mumbai, Paris, London, and Milan, etc.

Madam Pham Thu Hang – Representative of PGSM Vietnam gives appreciation flowers to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tam – Deputy Director of Vietnam National University-HCMC at PGSM’s 10th Anniversary of Post-Graduate Training in Vietnam

…to an “attractive” brand of management training in Vietnam

After many years of successful implementation in Vietnam, under strict censorship of education processes and quality, the International Executive Master of Business Administration (IEMBA) Program of Paris Graduate School of Management (PGSM), in a cooperation with Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City and National Economics University – Hanoi City, has made significant contributions to providing highly qualified human resources for domestic economic groups such as Vietnam Electricity (EVN), Vietnam Oil & Gas Group (PVN), numerous commercial banks, non-bank financial organizations, and other types of businesses.

2020 has marked 10 years of the presence of PGSM’s International Executive Master of Business Administration (IEMBA) Program in Vietnam, with nearly 1,000 students and graduates, most of whom are successful businessmen with many contributions to the community and society. These are the testimonies to PGSM’s contributions to the training and improvement of highly qualified human resources of Vietnam in the global integration trend.

Representative of PGSM Vietnam takes photos with lecturers, partners and students at PGSM’s 10th Anniversary of Post-Graduate Training in Vietnam

Vietnam’s economy is increasingly and deeply integrated with the global economy, opening up new opportunities and posing many challenges. Enhancing the management and operating capacity of the management team is crucial, especially in the current world context with many unpredictable changes.

In the next 10 years, on the basis of inheriting and promoting the existing experience and advantages of a leading French training brand, together with good cooperation with leading universities in Vietnam, PGSM will continue to expand high-quality training partnerships with the expectation that after graduation, Vietnamese students will play an active and significant role in improving the management experience of Vietnamese managers, affirming the capacity and position of Vietnam in the international arena.

Ngoc Thuy